


The Hands-On Approach

by prissygirl



Series: Seven Days of Rumbelle Fic [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Castle, F/M, Narcolepsy, Rumbelle - Freeform, Smut, woobie!Rumple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 06:13:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4252428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prissygirl/pseuds/prissygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle is suffering from narcolepsy in the Dark Castle. Rumple tries to help her cure it by helping her to relax. AU Dark Castle Smut</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the following prompt: Belle has narcolepsy in the Dark Castle (just like it seems she does on the show currently hahahaha), and Rumple keeps trying to cure it but he figures out that the only way she'll have a restful night's sleep and not fall asleep during the day is if they sleep together.

It was Belle’s third month in the Dark Castle when Rumplestiltskin began to notice something rather odd about his new caretaker.

He had kept to himself for the most part when she first arrived. But after only a short time, he had found himself feeling comfortable enough in her presence to allow her to dust the Great Hall while he spun and to take meals with him. They even drank their tea together most days.

Most recently, Belle had been bringing her book down and reading in front of the fireplace while he spun late into the night. She was always up bright and early the next day and Rumplestiltskin was beginning to wonder at how little she seemed to sleep. As the Dark One, he rarely needed more than a few hours. Even then, he wasn’t sure that he really needed to sleep. But some habits were hard to shake, even after three hundred years.

So when Rumple wandered into the library mid-morning and saw Belle curled up asleep in a chair, he wasn’t surprised.

He was a little more surprised when he found her asleep at the kitchen table that afternoon, having clearly nodded off while kneading dough, bits of flour smudging her sleeping face.

When he checked up on her and found her asleep for the third time later that day, face down in the clean laundry she had been folding, Rumple became more than a bit concerned.

“Belle,” he said the next morning as he sipped his tea, “are you having trouble sleeping at nights?”

She looked up from her own teacup, her eyes wide. “How did you know?”

He shrugged. “Magic.”

Her brows furrowed, and he thought – not for the first time - that she looked rather adorable when she was confused. “I suppose I have been having a bit of trouble sleeping through the night.”

“I see.” He set his tea down. “How long?”

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “Since I came here.”

He felt irritation rise up in him, both at Belle for not having said anything and at himself for not noticing. He was the Dark One; he was supposed to be practically omniscient.

Or at least that’s what he wanted people to believe. If he didn’t even notice what was going on in his own castle with his own maid, what did that say about his abilities?

Because he definitely wasn’t worried about her welfare, he reminded himself. He just wanted to make sure he knew what was going on under his own roof. That was all.

“And you’ve found yourself falling asleep throughout the day?”

She nodded glumly, not even questioning how he knew.

“I’m so tired during the day that whenever I get comfortable, I instantly fall asleep. But no matter what I do, I’m always too anxious at night to get any real rest.”

Rumple nodded and reminded himself that he didn’t care if his maid got good sleep or not. It wasn’t his problem, after all.

His lips seemed to be under a different impression, however.

“Perhaps I can help.”

Belle’s eyes met his and he wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised at his offer.

“You would do that?” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she gave him a hopeful smile.

He sighed. There was no point denying it now. He knew he was involved whether he liked it or not.

And whether he did indeed like it or not was a completely separate question, and if anyone had asked, he would have turned them into a snail.

“I’ll come by your chambers tonight and we’ll see what can be done,” he said, trying to sound as if he was talking about something mundane like the weather or tea, instead of being in Belle’s bedroom.

In the place where she slept. Or didn’t sleep, for that matter. Either way, it was a place he had never intruded on her before. There was a sense of impropriety about it that both terrified and excited him.

Belle didn’t seem to mind, though. “Are you going to use a potion?”

He shook his head. “It’s best to avoid those if possible. Sleeping potions are very easy to get addicted to.”

“A spell then?” Belle asked warily.

“No, it’d be too easy to accidentally overdo it. You’d more than likely find yourself sleeping away the next century or so.” He giggled as he raised the cup to his lips. “Just think how filthy the place would be.”

Belle shuddered. “I think I’ll pass on that.”

He nodded. “Wise choice, dearie. Besides, you usually need some sort of handsome suitor to awaken you with True Love’s kiss.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her blush.

“Ah, so there is a young man,” he drawled. “Your betrothed perhaps?”

There was an odd note in his voice, which he chose to ignore. Later he would recognize it as longing, but Rumplestiltskin had been suppressing his inner desires for long enough to realize that when one hinted at its presence, it was best not to look too closely at it. Instead, he usually took it as a sign that he should run as fast as possible in the other direction.

A delicate snort was his response, causing him to almost drop his already chipped teacup.

“Hardly,” Belle said with a roll of her eyes. “Gaston was a very fine knight, but I was never in love with him.” She looked up shyly at Rumple. “I can’t say I was very sad to leave him behind. The company is far better here than I would have had otherwise.”

Rumple tried not to preen at her words, but a smile twitched at his lips in spite of his best efforts.

“Good,” he said. “I would hate to think I had dragged you away from True Love.”

His hands fluttered about his heart in a mocking gesture, but Belle didn’t laugh. She was looking at him very intently, her eyes looking deep into his as if searching for something. Rumple’s hands started to sweat and he lowered them into his lap self-consciously.

“No, you certainly didn’t drag me away from it.”

Her voice had a strange lit to it that he hadn’t heard before. Once again, the voice in his head told him to bolt.

He cleared his throat and glanced out the window. “Oh, is that the time? Better be off then.” He stood, his hands waving about in the air awkwardly with no apparent purpose. “I’ll see you later tonight then, dearie.”

With a poof of purple smoke, he vanished from the Great Hall and reappeared in his workroom. He needed time to clear his head before he saw Belle again that night. In her bedroom.

Rumple gulped. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to get that Sleeping Curse from Maleficent.


	2. Chapter Two

The night came quicker than Rumple felt was strictly necessary. He avoided Belle for the rest of the day, but was unsurprised to find that she left a plate of food covered for him in front of his workroom door when he missed dinner.

She often did sweet things like that, he reflected. A small smile came to his face at the thought, but he quickly squashed it. He was the Dark One. The Dark One did not smile. It was alarming how often he had to remind himself of these things in the past few months.

When he realized he had done nothing but stare at the clock on the fireplace mantel for the past ten minutes, he decided it was worthless to put things off any longer.

It was twenty minutes after midnight, well past the time when Belle usually retired for the evening.

Without further ado, Rumple made his way through the winding hallways that led to Belle’s quarters. He tentatively knocked on her door, hoping that somehow she had fallen asleep on her own and wouldn’t hear his knock.

He had no such luck. The door creaked open a moment later. Belle stood in the doorway, dressed in one of the silk dressing gowns he had left in her closet shortly after her arrival. The robe was sky blue in color and matched her eyes perfectly.

Not that he had picked it out for that reason, of course. The fact that they matched was merely a coincidence. He had much more important things to do than bewitching material to compliment his maid’s eyes.

At least, that’s what he had told Belle when she commented on the color.

Still, he had never actually seen her wear one of them before. Though he knew she was wearing a nightgown underneath, it was still several layers less than he was used to seeing her in. He swallowed hard.

“Good evening, Rumplestiltskin.”

“Uh, yes. Good evening.”

She held the door open and gestured him inside. “Won’t you come in?”

Rumple nodded, not trusting that he wouldn’t embarrass himself if he spoke again, and walked into her room.

He had given her fairly standard quarters, in his opinion. There was a sitting room, which connected to her bedroom, and a small washroom off to the side. Perhaps there were a few more bookshelves than might be found in other rooms that size. The furniture was also slightly more plush and the windows a bit larger. But otherwise, it was exactly the same as any other set of quarters in the castle.

Rumple didn’t believe in spoiling his hired help. It would give them ideas about who was actually in charge.

Belle shut the door and he smothered the urge to magic himself back to his workroom or the Great Hall or anywhere else. He fidgeted, the fingers on his right hand rubbing against his thumb unconsciously. It wasn’t until Belle spoke again that he realized she was standing directly behind him.

He jumped and whirled around, finding himself much closer to her than he had intended.

“Are you alright?” Belle asked. She looked worried. Rumple crushed his instinct to confide in her.

“Of course, dearie!” he trilled, his voice once again that of a showman. “Merely just inspecting what you’ve done with the place.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Does everything meet with the master’s approval?”

He saw her lip quirk up as she tried to keep a straight face. She still hadn’t moved away from him, even though their bodies were almost touching. Rumple was determined not to be the first to back down, but the proximity to her was doing nothing to help his nerves.

“Of–of course,” he stammered out, inwardly cursing himself for letting such a slip of a girl rattle him so thoroughly.

Although, from the way she looked in her dressing gown, he couldn’t help but notice that the term “girl” was probably not the most politically correct...

Before his mind could go any further down that particular road, he spun away from her and began to walk about the room, picking up the occasional book or trinket that she had collected before setting it back down with a disapproving click of his tongue.

“Still reading this romantic drivel?” He didn’t keep the derision out of his voice as he sneered at the book lying open on her bed.

She gave him one of those looks of hers before marching over to pick up the book, cradling it lovingly in her arms as she carried it over to one of her bookshelves.

“It’s my favorite. I’ve read it twice since I’ve been here.” She placed it among the other books before turning back to walk towards him, a secret smile on her lips as if she knew something that he, in all his centuries of life and deals, did not. “I think you’d like it. There’s daring swordfights and magic spells.” She stopped right in front of him, giving him a small poke in the chest with her next sentence. “There’s even a prince in disguise.”

“I can assure you, dearie, I’m no prince.”

She gave a small laugh, but didn’t pull away. “Oh, I’m quite aware of that. But you’re more than you seem.” Her eyes searched his, and for all the power coursing through his veins, he couldn’t find the will to look away. “Even if you don’t know it,” she finished softly.

“Well, let’s put you to bed, shall we?” His voice came out high and squeaky. He was desperate to get this evening over with as fast as possible.

He was thankful when Belle merely nodded and turned away from him.

He was less thankful when she stepped over to the bed and began to pull back the covers.

“What are you doing?” he squeaked.

“Getting into bed, of course. Just as you suggested.” She slid into the bed and brought the covers up to her chest.

“Of course,” he repeated dumbly.

His heart almost gave out a second later when Belle patted the spot beside her.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Well, how else are you going to help me fall asleep? Are you planning to do it from over there?”

He wanted to ask her exactly what “it” she was referring to. But instead he found himself dutifully walking towards her bed and sitting very gingerly at the edge of the mattress.

“I don’t bite.”

Rumple tried to push away the image that erupted in his brain at her comment. If he was going to make it through the evening, he couldn’t allow himself to imagine her pearly white teeth sinking into his skin, leaving tiny love bites along his neck.

No, he definitely shouldn’t be imagining that. Or how her tongue would soothe the spot after. Or the noises she would make when he would return the favor. Or…

“Rumple?”

His eyes snapped back to hers. They had somehow drifted to her delicate neck during his daydream.

Belle reached out a hand to cover his. “You’re uncomfortable, aren’t you?”

Rumple shook his head emphatically. “No, of course not.” He withdrew his hand gently from her grasp. “Now tell me everything you’ve already tried.”

Belle nodded before listing off her various attempts, which included warm milk, walks around the castle, meditating, and many other methods she had read about in his library.

“This actually happened quite often when I was little. My mother always said my brain was too busy thinking that it couldn’t slow down sometimes.” Belle gave him an embarrassed smile. “I suppose that’s still true.”  
  
“Never apologize for thinking, Belle. The world would be a better place if more people had brains like yours.”

The compliment rolled off his tongue before he could think better of it. He didn’t regret it much though from the way that Belle blushed so beautifully at his compliment.

“Is there anything your mother would do to help you sleep?” he asked.

Belle opened her mouth to speak before seeming to think better of it. “Never mind.”

Rumple was intrigued. Belle usually wasn’t shy about sharing things about her past. Unlike him, of course.

“Belle,” he said, lifting her chin with his finger so she was eye-level with him again. “What was it?”

She visibly swallowed and her eyes seemed a little larger than usual as she spoke. “She would always rub my back until I fell asleep.”

Now it was Rumple’s turn to swallow.

“A backrub?”

She nodded.

He dropped his hands into his lap. The Dark One was never one to back down from a challenge, but a _backrub_?

“You don’t have to – “ Belle began.

“No, I’ll do it,” he interrupted. His fingers were beginning to tingle. He didn’t think that was a good sign.

“You will?”

“If it’ll stop you from falling asleep while cooking my dinner, I don’t really have a choice now, do I?”

Rumple let his supposed irritation cover up the tension that had currently taken root in whatever was left of his soul. He waved a hand further across the bed. “Scoot over.”

She did as he directed and he inched a little further onto the bed. “Turn,” he commanded.

Belle gave him one last unreadable look before turning her back to him.

It had been a long time since he had given a woman a backrub. Even back then, he would be lying if he hadn’t usually had an ulterior motive in mind. He had never been overly skilled at the art of seduction, but a long massage at the end of the day had seemed to serve him well in his two short-lived relationships.

Belle let out a small contented sigh as his hands began to massage her shoulders.

Rumple gulped.

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter is up tomorrow! And you know what that means…


	3. Chapter Three

Rumple watched the minutes tick by slowly until the hands on the clock showed a quarter past midnight. He fairly flew down the castle’s corridors until he was once again in front of Belle’s door.

He barely had to knock when the door opened for him. Belle stood in her dressing gown with a contented smile on her face.

“Rumple.”

“Belle.”

He followed her into her room, climbing up on the bed after her. They had gotten the routine down to a science – though Rumple rather liked to think his massages were more of an art form – during the last fortnight.

It only took about twenty minutes for Belle to unwind enough that she would be able to sleep through the night. Once she was properly relaxed, she would snuggle down under the covers and Rumple would bid her good night.

Then he would spend the next several hours at the spinning wheel, trying to forget the memory of how her body had felt beneath his fingers as he massaged away all her worries.

At least, that’s how things had gone for the past fourteen nights. He wasn’t sure how tonight would go, considering what had happened earlier that day.

He began to massage the top of her shoulders, easing out the knots. Perhaps he needed to give her less stressful tasks to do around the castle, he mused. After all, dusting such high shelves could be quite dangerous given her propensity for falling off things.

“Belle?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“How was your gardening today?”

He felt her still underneath his hands.

“Gardening?” Her voice was higher pitched than usual. “Fine, I guess.”

Rumple continued to knead her shoulders. “That’s good to hear. Are the tulips responding to your new technique?”

He could easily imagine the confused look that would be crossing her face right now.

“New technique?”

“Yes, I commend you on your experimental approach. I’ve always heard talking to the flowers helps them grow, so sleeping among them must really – “

Belle turned towards him, her face bright red. “You were spying on me?”

Despite the awkward angle, he continued his ministrations. “It’s not spying if it’s my garden, Belle.”

His defense didn’t seem to mollify her. But Rumple was fairly certain that the cause of the redness in her face was not anger, but embarrassment. Her eyes shied away from his and she didn’t say anything more.

“When did you start having trouble sleeping again?” he asked softly.

“Only recently,” Belle said, embarrassment clear in her voice. “Just the past few nights.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shrugged, still avoiding his gaze.

He sighed. “You always seem perfectly relaxed when I leave.”

She mumbled something too low for him to hear.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Belle, I’m trying to help you! I can’t do that if you won’t be honest about what you need from me.”

This time she turned fully around. Her dressing gown had ridden up a bit and one of her bare knees brushed against his.

“Maybe I’m too relaxed!”

Rumple frowned. “What does that mean?”

Belle gave him an exasperated look. “You’re over 300 hundred years old, Rumple. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, you’ve been more of a hermit than I thought.”

Rumple spread his hands diplomatically. “Clearly we’re miscommunicating here. If you could just – “

“You’re in my bed, Rumple! If I’m not sleeping after your hands have massaged me to within an inch of my life, what do you think I’m doing?!”

Rumple’s mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. His brain was struggling to fully understand what she had just said, though the rest of his body seemed to understand perfectly. Belle glared at him as he struggled to formulate a response.

In the end, he decided that retreating was the wisest course of action. In hindsight, he should have just used magic to transport himself, but in times like this, he seemed to forget centuries’ worth of training. Human instinct kicked in and he scrambled backwards off the bed.

In his haste, he misjudged the length of the bed and found himself toppling over the edge onto the floor.

From his position on the ground, he could see Belle leaning over the bed to peer at him.

“This really wasn’t how I imagined this conversation going in my daydreams, you know. Especially after that quip about the ‘rather large estate’.”

This time Rumple remembered he had magic. A moment later he was safe in his own bed, far away from Belle and the pesky feelings she incited within him.

Perhaps it would be safer to stay in bed for a few days, Rumple thought to himself. He pulled the covers up around himself.

He thought once again of Belle’s anger and changed his mind. Perhaps he should play it safe and stay for a couple decades instead.

 

For the next few days, Rumplestiltskin returned to his behavior from when Belle had first arrived at the castle. He avoided her during the day, only to return to the Great Hall and his spinning wheel when he was certain she had gone to bed.

He had thought it would be easy to go back to the way things had been. But as the days passed by, he realized he missed her.

It wasn’t just their nightly ritual that had changed in the past two weeks. Even their day-to-day interactions had been affected. He missed the little touches that he had grown surprisingly used to during that time. Belle had always been an affectionate person, but her occasional touches had grown in frequency lately. They were innocent touches, of course. A touch on his arm at dinner or a brush against him as she passed by. She had even taken to leaning against his leg as she read by the fireplace, where he had decided to join her the night after their experiment began. He had thought it might make things easier if they spent more time together during the day.

It definitely wasn’t because he found the sound of her voice soothing as she read.

But now all of that was gone, including their time together in her room. He had cherished those twenty minutes each night. Not just for the pure bliss of being able to touch her, but because the intimate setting had allowed them both to open up to each other. He’d learned about her family and all the places she had always wanted to travel. Rumple had even shared a bit about his past, although he hadn’t been ready to bring up his son yet.

Some things were better left unsaid.

And that was exactly why Rumple was continuing to avoid her. Belle was clearly confused about what she wanted. Because there was no way a woman like Belle would want a man – a monster – like him.

Somehow they had crossed a line. Galloped across it might be a more accurate statement, Rumple thought wearily.

The only thing he could think to do was to avoid her until she realized that she had been mistaken. She didn’t really want him. Not like that. Not in the way he wanted her.

Not in the way he desperately craved her.

He wouldn’t ask such a thing of her, even if she seemed to be interested. She was merely confused and would realize her mistake very soon.

And then they could return to the strange friendship that had grown between them in the past couple months.

In the meantime, Rumple was going to research as much about methods of treating narcolepsy as he could.

 

It was the fourth day of his self-exile when Rumple heard a bang on the door. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was one o’clock in the morning.

Rumple scowled, throwing open the door with enough force that it banged against the stone wall. He thought it would appear intimidating, but Belle merely stood there in her dressing gown, her eyebrow raised elegantly.

“Were you planning on hiding forever?

When he merely gaped at her, she walked past him into the workroom.

“I haven’t been able to sleep at all these past few nights,” she said, leaning against the worktable as her eyes examined him.

He let the door close behind him and took a deep breath, trying to calm down his beating heart before he spoke.

“Why are you here, Belle?”

She looked unsure for a moment. He realized that she was just as nervous as he was, though she had been better at hiding it before now.

Belle seemed to think over her words carefully before she finally spoke, looking him straight in the eye.

“I’m here for a backrub.”

“But those don’t make you sleep anymore,” he replied, frustration and confusion evident in his voice.

“I know.”

The silence was so absolute after she spoke that Rumple wondered if the castle itself was holding its breath, waiting to hear what would happen next.

He gestured awkwardly between them. “This isn’t really what you want, Belle.”

Belle groaned, throwing her hands up in the air. “You men are all the same! You say I should be free to choose my own destiny and then you proceed to make my decisions for me.” She closed the space between them until she was standing directly in front of him, leaving him trapped between her and the door.

“I’m just trying to save you from making a terrible mistake – “

“Stop trying to save me! I’m not a damsel in distress.” She took his hands in hers, her gentle grasp at odds with the ferocity of her speech. “I care for you. I want to be with you, Rumple.” For the first time that night, her voice seemed to flounder for a moment, though she kept her eyes on his. “When you put your hands on me…well, I’ve never felt that way before.” She lifted his hands, placing each one on one of her shoulders. “Please, Rumple. Don’t take that away from me. Don’t take away what we could have together.”

He felt his resolve crumbling, his doubt slowly disappearing. Perhaps she could care for him, he thought. But he had to be sure before anything else happened.

“I’m a monster, Belle. You deserve better.”

He had expected another impassioned speech or even for her to storm out in a huff. He hadn’t expected her to laugh at him.

“A monster? Is that what you think?” She rolled her eyes at him, before cupping his face with her hands. “You were in a woman’s bed fourteen times and all you did was rub her back until she fell asleep.” She shook her head at him, laughter bubbling up again within her. “You didn’t once try and take advantage of me. And then when I asked you to, you couldn’t run away fast enough.” Belle’s eyes sparkled with merriment. “Some monster you are.”

For the first time in a very long time, Rumple felt hopeful. “You’re sure then? That this – that I’m what you want?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. “What do you think?” she whispered.

A moment later, Belle shrieked in delighted surprise as she found herself back in her own room, Rumple still beside her. She threw herself into his arms and he found himself reveling in her embrace.

After a minute or two, she pulled back. He saw the delight in her eyes change to something else. Something weightier. Something more serious. There was a fire burning within her and he couldn’t help but be drawn towards it. He was the moth as surely as she was the flame.

She held out an outstretched hand, which he took. He let her lead him to her bed and he crawled up behind her onto the mattress. Belle settled in the way she had during the past couple weeks and looked expectantly over her shoulder.

“Would you mind?” Her voice was lower than usual and it sent a thrill through his body.

He merely nodded, not trusting his voice to say anything at the moment. His thumbs began to rub slow circles on her upper back. He had only just started when she spoke again. “Wait.”

Rumple stilled, wondering if this would be the moment where she rejected him. Instead, he watched in disbelief as she untied her dressing gown. It slipped from her shoulders and pooled to the bed between them, leaving her wearing only her thin nightgown.

Belle gave him a nervous smile. “The material was getting in the way.”

He nodded, as if it was the most logical statement in the world. Perhaps it was, but his mind had gone rather blank as he stared at the creamy pale flesh revealed by the nightgown’s low neckline.

Reaching out his hands again, he continued to massage her shoulders, loving the way her soft skin felt beneath his calloused fingers. He couldn’t help but enjoy the appreciative moans Belle made as his fingers worked against her. If he had thought her vocal during their previous sessions, he was starting to realize just how loud she could truly be.

It was a thought that naturally led to other ideas and he felt his lower anatomy stir at the images currently racing through his brain.

“Belle.”

She turned her body towards him, her eyes reflecting his own feelings perfectly. She reached out for him and he fell into her arms, their mouths colliding awkwardly as they fell back onto the bed.

Rumple tried to pull away for a moment when he realized their position, but she locked her legs and arms around him fiercely. “Don’t you dare try and run away this time.”

He shook his head, his voice husky. “I don’t plan to.”

And with that declaration, he pushed all his worries aside and kissed her deeply. She let out a contented sigh and pulled him even closer.

Their lips and tongues explored each other as their hands tangled in one another’s hair. Rumple shifted a bit to his side so that he wasn’t putting all this weight on Belle. She rolled with him, never letting her grip on him lessen.

Her mouth was hot and wet and Rumple reveled in the feel of her body beneath him. He had dreamed of this more often than he could remember. To actually be experiencing it was more than he could have ever hoped for.

Leaving her lips for a moment, he trailed a line of sloppy kisses down her neck, feeling her gasp in pleasure at the sensation. She wiggled beneath him and he was suddenly very aware of her thigh, pressed up against his crotch. As she continued to move against him, his cock twitched, straining against the tight, confining leather of his pants.

If things were going to continue this way in the future, which he very much hoped they did, Rumple was going to have to find a different type of trousers. As nice as a fitted pair of leather pants looked, they didn’t function well for these types of situations.

Belle too seemed to have become aware of his growing problem, and he felt one of her hands brush against his hardness. Rumple let out a half-choked sob.

He glanced at her face, finding her eyes riveted on the spot, as she rubbed her fingers along the bulge in the fabric. “I always wondered what it would feel like,” she said, amazement evident in her voice.

Rumple lowered one of his hands and gently grasped hers, pulling it away and pinning it to the bed.

“If you continue to do that, sweetheart, I’m not going to last very long.”

Before she could object, he covered her lips with his again, his tongue plundering her mouth. She moaned beneath him and he found himself rutting against her shamelessly. He would have stopped, but Belle had other things in mind. She shifted until their lower bodies were aligned, grinding herself against him.

A strangled cry escaped him and he bit down on her lip, causing her to gasp.

He pulled back quickly. “Are you alright?” he asked, caressing her face worriedly.

Belle’s eyes glowed with a light he had never seen before. “I’ve never been better,” she replied breathlessly.

She pulled him back towards her and they continued to trade kisses and caresses as they moved against each other slowly.

Belle’s nightgown had ridden up her body, giving him an eyeful of her naked thigh. He drew his fingers up her leg and across her thigh, enjoying the way she shivered at his touch. As he neared her center, he grew shy for a moment, his fingers hovering less than an inch away from the spot he longed to touch.

It had been a lifetime since he made love to a woman. Perhaps he had forgotten. Rumple didn’t want to disappoint Belle, especially as this would be her first time. Maybe it would be best if they waited. He could –

All thoughts flew out of his head as Belle reached down between them and brought his fingers up between her legs. She let out a breathy sigh and he gasped as he realized how wet she already was. There was no material between them and Rumple ran his fingers up and down her center, stopping only to press against her clit. Belle bucked up against his hand, and he felt some of his confidence return. He felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile and his fingers slipped easily into her, working her from the inside.

As the pressure started to build, Belle began to thrash wildly beneath him, moaning his name as she arched into his touch. He couldn’t get enough of her and his fingers began moving frantically as they drove in and out of her. Rumple flicked her clit each time before plunging his fingers back inside her. His suspicions about Belle’s vocalness were proven true as, after what seemed like no time at all, she screamed out beneath him, clenching around his fingers.

She was breathing hard as she came down from her orgasm. He thought perhaps she’d need to rest for a moment, but she surprised him by lunging at him. Her lips crashed into his and her hands began tearing at his clothes.

“Off,” she ordered.

For a moment, Rumple was convinced that she meant for him to get off her. That she had gotten her pleasure and wanted him to leave. It was only as she began pulling his shirt out of his trousers that he realized what she meant.

Not needing to be told twice, he rolled off her for a moment, making quick work of removing his shirt and – with a little magical assistance – his pants. As much as he liked the idea of Belle undressing him, her tone hadn’t indicated that she had that much patience at the moment. If he was honest, he didn’t really think he did either.

He turned back to Belle, to find her struggling with her night gown, which had become partly stuck over her head. With a gentle tug, he managed to pry her loose from the garment before pulling it from her, letting it fall to the floor near the bed.

His eyes fell upon her and he couldn’t imagine what he had ever done to deserve such loveliness. Belle was perfect, from her small pert breasts down to her tiny waist which led to what he could only imagine would be heaven itself. He could still smell her on his fingers. Rumple slipped them into his mouth, watching Belle’s eyes grow wide as he did so.

“Rumple…”

It was something between a purr and a warning, and he decided it would be rude to keep her waiting while he decided which. He pulled her towards him, one hand wrapping around her waist as the other buried itself in her hair.

With no more material separating them from each other, Belle rubbed herself against him, her eyes locked on his as they enjoyed the sensation of their naked flesh against each other. He kissed her fiercely. He was desperate to be inside her, to feel her clench around his cock that way she had around his fingers only moments before.

She answered his kiss with equal fervor, reaching down once again to where their bodies longed to come together. Realizing that there was one more thing he needed to do before that could happen, he slid out of the way of her wandering hand, moving down on the bed.

“What are you doing?” Belle asked breathlessly.

He gently nudged her legs apart, his mouth hovering over her center.

“I want you to have as much pleasure as possible, Belle.” And without another word, his lips descended.

Belle let out little choked noises as his tongue tasted her, dancing across her folds. He brought up a thumb to rub her clit, her moans encouraging him to continue. She buried her fingers in his hair and he always knew he found a particularly sensitive spot as she would suddenly yank on his curls.

When he finally came up for air to gaze at Belle, he knew he was smirking. Her hair was a mess and she looked completely ravished, even though they had yet to actually consummate their relationship.

If in that moment she had told him that she wanted to wait, he knew he would have been content enough to curl up beside her, counting himself a lucky man.

But she did no such thing. With a rather satisfied smile, she beckoned him closer. He moved back on top of her, being careful not to crush her. She reached once again for his cock and this time he let her. He was incredibly hard and the feel of her delicate fingers against his aching shaft was both torment and bliss.

Rumple closed his hand around Belle’s, showing her how to stroke him. Her strokes became firmer as she grew in confidence. It wasn’t long before he needed to still her hand once again.

Giving her one more passionate kiss, he lined himself up at her entrance, rubbing himself against her wetness. He locked eyes with Belle – he needed to be sure that she was ready for him.

She seemed to know what he was asking, because she gave him a wicked smile before pushing herself forward. The tip of his cock slid in and Rumple had to fight back a curse. Taking a deep breath, his eyes never leaving hers, he pushed slowly in. When he was fully sheathed inside her, he stilled, giving her time to adjust to the new sensation.

He had expected to see pain cross her face, even though he had been as gentle as possible. He had done everything he knew to bring her pleasure prior to their coupling, in hopes of making it easier for her.

But Belle’s blue eyes shined back at him in awe and more than a hint of lust. After a moment of catching her breath, she nudged her lower body closer to him.

“Move,” she demanded.

Rumple didn’t need to be told again. He began thrusting into her slowly, building in speed as Belle wrapped her legs around him, letting him sink even deeper into her.

Her nails dug into his back and he groaned, burying his face in her neck as he continued to thrust up inside her, reveling in her cries. She smelled amazing and part of him still couldn’t believe that this was really happening, even as Belle arched up beneath him.

Her neck was lifted in offering to him and he couldn’t help the fierce drive that compelled him to mark her as his own in yet another way. He bit down on her neck, hearing her moan in response. He soothed the bite with his tongue before Belle pulled him in for another searing kiss. Their tongues fought for dominance before they had to break apart, the need for air too great.

They stared at each other as their bodies came together again and again. Belle was panting beneath him as he drove into her body. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything sexier in his entire life. 

Their rhythm grew erratic and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer at this pace. Still, he couldn’t find the will to slow down. He managed to reach down between them and pinch her clit, hoping he could get her off one last time before he came.

“Oh god, Rumple!”

Hearing his name from her lips was his undoing. He managed to thrust a few more times before he came. Stars exploded behind his eyelids and he was just barely aware of the feeling of her clenching around him as she followed him over the edge.

He collapsed to the side, barely remembering not to crush her as he came down. Belle rolled towards him, murmuring nonsensical noises as she caressed his hair.

Keeping his eyelids open was a struggle, but he kept his gaze focused on Belle. He wanted to make sure she was alright.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

She gave him a contented but sleepy smile.

“I feel amazing, Rumple.” Her smile turned into a yawn then, which she tried to hide from him with her hand.

His lips quirked. “I guess we finally found a foolproof method to put you to sleep.”

She nodded lazily, shifting her head on his shoulder. “I guess we’ll have to do it again tomorrow night then.”

Rumple nodded before kissing her forehead. “That we will, sweetheart.” He let out a slight chuckle. “I suppose my days of finding you drooling into my laundry are done at last.”

When he didn’t hear a reply, he looked down at the woman in his arms. Belle was sound asleep, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks in a way that made his heart skip a beat.

He snuggled his sleeping beauty closer, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

Rumple knew he’d never be able to sleep through the entire night with her. At best, he would only sleep a few hours before feeling refreshed. But he already knew that he would stay, if only to be there when she awoke the next morning.

Until then, he had more than enough lovely memories to replay in his mind until she awoke.

Perhaps then they could even make some more, he thought happily. And with that thought, he drifted off, joining Belle in a blissful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: Thanks to everyone for reading! I’ll be publishing my next fic, “Only in Vegas”, over the next four days. Hope you’re all enjoying my Seven Days of Rumbelle Fic celebration!

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my Seven Days of Rumbelle Fic celebration. Find me on tumblr at http://prissyhalliwell.tumblr.com


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